Thursday, September 22, 2016

Harvest Moon 7542 puerh Chaxi

Spring 1997 Menghai Tea Factory 7542 puerh

The Harvest Moon is the September full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. This year, it coincides with the Chinese Autumn Moon Festival. It's arguably the second most important festival in Chinese culture (after the New Year). It's not just a celebration of the harvests, but also a celebration of friendship and family, a time when people are coming together in harmony. This is the deeper meaning of the perfectly round and bright moon.

That's the reason why I'm using so many round accessories on my Chaxi. They are displayed on a dark (night) background. It almost seems that you can see the moon rising!

For this special occasion, I'm particularly thankful to brew an aged Menghai Tea Factory 7542 cake from 1997. The scents of the cake are intense camphor, old wood, incense and dark cave. It doesn't smell like 19 years of age, but closer to 30 or 40 years! Taiwan's climate seems to have performed miracles with these leaves. The tea is clean, crisp and energetic, but aged at the same time.

The brew has the color of the Harvest Moon as it rises above the horizon!

The celebration of friendship on this festival is the occasion of giving gifts, preferably round like this moon cake or the pomelo:

A round cup of puerh is also a fitting Full Moon festival gift, especially when the taste is so thick, pure and long lasting. It has a richness and depth that no other tea has (when using so few leaves). It brings a tickling feeling to the palate. The whole body feels warm and relaxing. Fantastic!

By the way, this 7542 puerh is a perfect match for this moon cake, because its
strong aromas mix nicely with the rich flavors of the cake. The aftertaste of the tea prolongs the creamy and sweet tastes of the cake.

The mid autumn festival is also reward and celebration for the hard work done during the harvests of fall. While most of us don't work in fields anymore, autumn is still a time of busy work after the relaxing summer season. As the temperatures drop, a good cup of puerh provides warmth and energy. And an aged puerh will have the dark color and round feeling of the Harvest Moon!